Music : Mockingbird |
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Rating: - * Good covers album ... While some of these songs don't really fit Allison's voice, her voice is strong enough to prevent any of these from being a true dud. Strongest cover is of Joni Mitchell's "Both Sides Now." I'd even put that cover up with the original. Rating: - * And your bird can sing ... I recently caught Alison Moorer in concert as she opened for her firebrand husband, Steve Earle, on his Washington Square Serenade tour. Other than the fact that she is Mrs. Earle and Shelby Lynne's sister, I didn't know much about her. But I was impressed enough by her performance to pick this disc up after the show. "Mockingbird" is a covers album that rises and falls like most, on the strength of the interpretations. Moorer has a beautiful, clear voice that works when she digs to the core of the song's emotion, like her spatial vibe on "Ring of Fire." Like her husband, she is also unafraid of putting a rocker's pulse to songs that would naturally accommodate it, as she does here to Patti Smith's "Dancing Barefoot." On her own composition (the title track) Moorer connects the way the cool female singers of the 70's like Carly Simon or Joni Mitchell (who pops up with "Both Sides Now.") used to. However, there are a few misses. The scratchy psuedo-old-timey production of "Daddy Goodbye Blues" is irritating. Some of the songs just lack spunk. All is forgiven with the closer (and concert highlight) "Looking for Blue Eyes," a lament that shows Moorer's country gifts to perfection. "Mockingbird" falls into the same league as, for instance, kd lang's Hymns of the 49th Parallel, where a really gifted singer works a promising turf but can't always hit the mark. For an example of this type of album done just right, check out Slaid Cleaves' Unsung. Rating: - * Soulful crooning still falls a little flat ... Allison Moorer has a wonderfully smoky singing voice, the kind that can make for both great sultry jazz interpretation as well as portray the kind of heartbreak that a good country slow song requires. So an album in which she uses that voice to cover both classic jazz and country standards seems like it couldn't miss. Unfortunately, the arrangements on these covers go out of their way to vary Moorer's interpretation from the original without providing that something extra that makes a good cover. Best case in point is what Moorer does with the Johnny Cash standard, "Ring of Fire." It's a hard song to cover to begin with, as Cash's version is pretty well imprinted on the memory of anyone who's heard it, and most of us have heard it hundreds of times. When the song first begins, you don't even quite recognize it as "Ring of Fire," but when you ultimately do, you start performing that mental comparison with the Cash version and every choice that Moorer makes just seems to have been done to be different. Sometimes it works--the best song here for me is "I Want a Little Sugar in My Bowl," which recalls Nina Simone but adds enough country tinge that makes it work for Moorer--but for the most part these are non-descript covers that you play once and promptly forget, which is unfortunate. Rating: - * New fan ... Never heard of Moorer until I was reading the bio of her sister Shelby Lynn. Bought MOCHINGBIRD..... Allison has a great voice, warm... personal... country blues would be my discription. Love this cd Rating: - * diamond in the rough ... Allison Moorer is a welcome relief to all the craziness on the radio today. The songs are mellow and laid back, all are beautifully done and her voice overall reminds me of Paula Cole, most notably on Dancing Barefoot. Some of her song choices are a little off the wall, particularly Both Sides Now, but there's definitely bountiful talent here. |


![]() The nüvi 360 comes with hands-free bluetooth wireles technology. See side view. |
![]() Browse your stored pictures with an easy-to-use JPEG viewer. |
![]() The device sports a handy MP3 player, letting you play songs stored on SD memory cards. |
In addition, you can easily look-up and dial numbers from your personalized phone book or from your phone's call history log. Don't know the phone number for your destination? Simply find and dial it from nüvi's database of more than six million points of interest -- including hotels, restaurants, stores, and attractions.
Navigation and Entertainment with Ease
For starters, the nüvi 360 includes a high-sensitivity integrated GPS receiver that offers exceptional performance and reception. The unit's flip-up antenna includes an MCX-type connector for optional external GPS antenna connection. Preloaded software features maps of Europe or North America, and it includes automatic routing, 2D or 3D map perspective, turn-by-turn voice directions that speak street names, and a fingertip touch screen interface -- making navigation as easy as it gets.
But navigation is just the beginning. Like the nüvi 350, the nüvi 360 also includes many entertainment and travel tools including an MP3 player, audio book player, JPEG picture viewer, travel alarm, and currency converters.
The nüvi 360 features a bright, 2.8 x 2.1-inch TFT display with white backlight for easy readability. At 3.87 x 2.91 x 0.87-inches (WxHxD) and just 5.1 ounces, the unit is small enough to be placed on the dashboard with the included suction mount, or into your pocket for easy transportability. The unit also features Garmin Lock -- an advanced anti-theft feature that disables the unit from performing any functions until you type in a specific four-digit PIN or take the unit to a predetermined location. A built-in lithium ion battery will give you up to eight hours of power, and an included 12/24 volt adapter cable will let you run the navigator off your vehicle's power. An AC battery charger is also included.
A built-in Travel Kit that includes sample MP3s and audio books will get you started with entertainment, and with the unit's SD memory card expansion slot you can add optional software, such as language and travel guides. A USB port is also included for loading and updating data.
What's in the Box
Gamin nüvi 360, Preloaded City Navigator NT North America or Europe (full coverage), vehicle suction cup mount, AC charger, 12/24 volt adapter cable, dashboard disk, USB interface cable, carrying case, owner's manual, and quick reference guide.

![]() This pocket sized personal travel assistant has a super bright, sunlight-readable color screen. See side view. |
![]() Easy control via the simple touch screen. |
![]() Weather reporting available with bright, colorful graphics. |
Speaking of keeping you safe, the nüvi 680 lets you make hands-free calls so you can talk freely during your worry-free driving. By integrating Bluetooth wireless technology with a built-in microphone and speaker, you can pair your nüvi with any compatible Bluetooth phone and talk hands-free while staying focused on the road. You no longer have to fumble with your phone's handset to answer a call or dial a number, just tap the 680's screen and you're instantly connected. And with 1-touch dialing for your POIs, you can quickly and conveniently call ahead to make reservations or get needed information.
![]() Simply insert a memory card to enjoy pictures, songs, and audiobooks. |
![]() You can also use the mini-USB port for tranferring files directly to the memory card. |
In additional to all this functionality, the nüvi 680 includes many must-have entertainment and travel tools such as an MP3 player, an audio book player (subscription to Audible.com required), and a JPEG picture viewer so you can take your favorite music and pictures with you wherever you go. This unit also features a world travel clock with time zones, a currency converter, a measurement converter, and a calculator so that wherever you travel it will be easy to know what you are getting and keep track of your costs. The MP3 player lets you browse music by artist, album, and/or song, while the optional audio books may be purchased from Audible.com which features over 70,000 hours of audio programs. What's more, the nüvi 680 allows further customization via optional software such as a travel guide, savings programs and language translation on plug-and-play SD cards for all your travel needs.
The Garmin nüvi 680 comes with a built-in, high-sensitivity, WAAS-enabled GPS receiver, and lets you view and operate it via its bright, LCD TFT touch-screen, wide-screen display that measures 4.3 inches (diagonal) and has a resolution of 480 x 272 pixels with 64,000 colors and a white backlight. As a whole, the nüvi 680 measures 4.9 x 2.9 x 0.9 inches (W x H x D), and weighs only 6.2 ounces for easy portability. This unit provides you with from three to seven hours of battery life (depending on use) via its rechargeable lithium-ion battery, and comes with Garmin Lock, which is an anti-theft feature to protect your investment. While you can add software via the SD card slot, the Garmin nüvi 680 also lets you interface via high-speed USB for loading data, though users should note that, like most USB mass storage devices, this unit is not compatible with Windows 95, Windows 98 or Windows Me.
![]() The nüvi 680 comes ready to go right out of the box with preloaded City Navigator NT street maps, including a hefty points of interest (POIs) database with hotels, restaurants, fuel stops, ATMs, and more. |

